No Faith in Todd Gurley? Rams Trade Up For Speedy RB Darrell Henderson

The Todd Gurley saga continued and it could not be ignored during Day Two of the NFL Draft when the Rams traded up to No. 70 overall to select Memphis RB Darrell Henderson. The former Tiger was ridiculous during his tenure in Memphis, as he rushed for 1,909 yards on only 214 carries, which averaged out to an absurd 8.9 yards per attempt. However, Rams GM Les Snead was quick to point out that they selected Henderson as a “change-of-pace” back that the team has been in search of since hiring Sean McVay… sure.

Dominating in Memphis’ zone blocking scheme, draft expert Dane Brugler compared Henderson to Dalvin Cook, saying he’s “at his best when he can slash and weave through gaps, using his open-field moves to make defenders look silly at the second level.” With McVay cutting his teeth under the Shanahan’s, this looks like a zone blocking match made in fantasy heaven for the rookie runner.

Most importantly, what the hell does this mean for Todd Gurley? Is the writing on the wall for the fantasy monster? We all know about the late-season injury, the playoff debacle, the Malcolm Brown resigning, the arthritis in his knee and now they trade up for an electric running back. Sheesh.

“This had to do with his skill set,” McVay said, when asked if Henderson’s addition was tied to Gurley’s knee. “He was a player that we identified as a unique playmaker.”

As Gurley continues to slip down our 2019 Big Board, Darrell Henderson becomes a must-cuff and potential season winner in this situation.

Bottom Line: Pass-catching specialist, who? Christian McCaffrey returned to his college workhorse roots under new OC Norv Turner, and quickly put up Fantasy MVP-worthy numbers. He continued to flash his otherworldly receiving abilities, hauling in an NFL record 106 catches for 875 yards and 6 TDs. Yet where the usage really rose was the carries, as McCaffrey nearly doubled his 2017 total for 215 carries, 1080 yards, and 7 scores. These 321 total touches ranked third behind only Ezekiel Elliott and Saquon Barkley, and this newfound volume created the ultimate ceiling / floor combination. In the process, McCaffrey flashed both the elusiveness, breakaway ability, and most shockingly underrated power to redefine the workhorse model.

​New OC Norv Turner deserves immense credit for this outburst. His previous work with LaDanian Tomlinson proved he wasn't afraid to ride a smaller-back, as he's able to scheme his guys in space and in creative outside gaps versus just blasting them up the gut... but even still, never before had an NFL back played nearly 97% of the team's snaps. Yes, this number inevitably will fall in 2019, but McCaffrey should still hover around 85-90%, especially with Turner returning. Expect a similar buffet of weekly volume with the upside for even more efficiency should the Panthers beef up their line while their explosive young wideouts take a next step forward.

Ceiling Projection: 320 touches (100 rec.), 2,000 Tot. Yds, 13 TDs

Floor Projection*: 270 touches (70 rec.), 1600 Tot. Yds, 7 TDs

Actual Projection: 310 touches (90 rec), 1900 Tot. Yds, 12 TDs

*Note - Floors are done without injuries in mind. Of course the lowest floor is torn ACL first play of scrimmage. This assumes 16 games